System for protecting a rotatable shaft of a motor from excessive bending moments

ABSTRACT

A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/184,599, filed Feb. 19, 2014, which is a continuation ofInternational Patent Application No. PCT/US12/51206, filed Aug. 16,2012, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/525,609 filed Aug. 19, 2011, all of whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates to motors, and more particularly to motorsthat have a propeller to propel an aircraft.

BACKGROUND

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be launched to provide remoteobservation of a location of interest and to then return to ground forlanding and recovery. Some UAVs do not have landing gear, or havelanding gear that is not sufficient to clear the propeller duringlanding. Damage to the aircraft may result, including damage to thepropeller and engine compartment should the propeller strike the groundduring landing. A need continues to exist to reduce the possibility ofdamage to the engine compartment resulting from inadvertent propellerstrikes during landing.

SUMMARY

A motor apparatus is disclosed that includes a motor having a motorcasing, a rotatable shaft extending from the motor casing to a shaftlength, and a hub coupled to the rotatable shaft, the hub having acircumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motorcasing. A bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub may resultin the circumferential skid surface contacting the motor casing. Theapparatus may further comprise a propeller coupled to the hub and seatedin the channel so that a bending moment applied to the rotatable shaftfrom the propeller results in the circumferential skid surfacecontacting the motor casing. In an exemplary embodiment, the hub mayfurther comprise a cavity to fixedly receive and seat the propeller. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the hub may comprise a cavity to receiveand guide the shaft and the shaft may have a threaded distal portion tothreadably attach to a spinner nut to hold the propeller to the cavity.In another exemplary embodiment, the hub may further comprise a shaftcavity to receive the shaft, the shaft cavity extending approximately tothe shaft length. In another exemplary embodiment, the circumferentialskid surface may be annular, non-annular, or defined by opposing radialhub wings. In another exemplary embodiment, the opposing radial hubwings may each have a thickness of approximately 15 mm. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the circumferential skid surface may have athickness of approximately 15 mm thick. In another exemplary embodiment,the skid surface may be spaced apart from the motor casing byapproximately 0.5-1.5 mm. In another exemplary embodiment, the hub maybe formed from aluminum. In another exemplary embodiment, the outerdiameter of the circumferential skid surface may be approximately 20-28mm.

Another motor apparatus is disclosed that includes a motor having afront skid face, a rotatable shaft extending past the front skid face, ahub coupled to the rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferentialskid surface disposed immediately proximal to the front skid face duringat least a portion of a rotation of the rotatable shaft, and a propellercoupled to the hub. A bending moment applied to the shaft through thehub may result in the circumferential skid surface contacting the frontskid face during the at least a portion of the rotation. In an exemplaryembodiment, the circumferential skid surface may be annular. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the circumferential skid surface may be defined byopposing radial hub wings. In another exemplary embodiment, the skidsurface may be spaced apart from the front skid face by approximately0.5-1.5 mm when the circumferential skid surface is rotated to aposition in complementary opposition to the front skid face.

A method of protecting a rotatable shaft of a motor from excessivebending moments is disclosed that includes applying a bending moment toa propeller, such as from a ground strike of the propeller, transmittingthe bending moment through the propeller to a hub, transmitting thebending moment from the hub to a rotatable shaft of a motor, andlimiting bending deformation of the rotatable shaft with reinforcingcontact between a motor casing and a circumferential skid surface of thehub. The possibility of damage to an engine compartment during landingmay be reduced by reinforcing contact between the motor casing andcircumferential skid surface of the hub, if the propeller experiences aground strike.

A motor apparatus is disclosed that has a hub coupled to a rotatableshaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed about ahub perimeter, and a motor rotatably coupled to the hub through therotatable shaft, the motor having means for providing reinforcingcontact spaced immediately apart from and in complementary opposition tothe circumferential skid surface of the hub, wherein a bending momentapplied to the shaft results in the circumferential skid surface of thehub contacting the means for providing reinforcing contact. In oneembodiment, the apparatus may also include means for seating a propelleronto the shaft, the means for seating configured so that a bendingmoment applied to the propeller is transmitted to the hub through theshaft and resulting in the circumferential skid surface contacting meansfor providing reinforcing contact. In one embodiment, thecircumferential skid surface is annular. In such a case, an outerdiameter of the circumferential skid surface may be approximately 20-28mm, or, the circumferential skid surface is non-annular. If non-annular,the circumferential skid surface may be defined by opposing radial hubwings. In another embodiment, the circumferential skid surface is spacedapart from the means for providing reinforcing contact by approximately0.5-1.5 mm when the circumferential skid surface is rotated to aposition in complementary opposition to the front skid face.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a hub having acircumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motorcasing of a motor;

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are respectively a top, perspective, and rear view ofthe hub and circumferential skid surface illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are cross-sectional, back plan and perspective views,respectively, of one embodiment of a hub having a circumferential skidsurface;

FIG. 8 is one embodiment of an aircraft system for use with the hub,rotatable shaft and motor assembly first illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the hub and circumferential skidsurface illustrated in FIG. 1, with a bending moment applied to theshaft by the propeller through the hub; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a hubhaving a circumferential skid surface, with the propeller attached theshaft separately from the hub.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system is disclosed for reducing the possibility of damage to anengine compartment due to a propeller strike during landing. In oneembodiment of a method to protect a rotatable shaft of a motor fromexcessive bending moments, a bending moment may be transmitted from thepropeller to a hub, and may then be further transmitted to the rotatableshaft. Bending deformation of the rotatable shaft may be limited byreinforcing contact made between a circumferential skid surface of thehub and a motor casing of the motor.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a motor assembly that has, in oneembodiment, a hub coupled to a rotatable shaft extending from a motor,the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediatelyproximal to a motor casing of the motor so that a bending moment appliedto the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surfacecontacting the motor casing. A shaft 100 of the motor 102 may drive thepropeller 104 through a hub 106 that is depicted as coupled to the shaft100. The motor 102 may be a permanent three-phase electric motor, or maybe a DC motor or other motor that may be operable to drive the propeller104 through the rotatable shaft 100. The hub has a skid surface, in oneembodiment a circumferential skid surface 107, disposed immediatelyproximal to a motor casing 112 of the motor 102 when assembled to therotatable shaft. Although described as circumferential, thecircumferential skid surface 107 need not be continuous, but may beformed with a dis-contiguous surface about a hub perimeter, or as asurface extending without a surface break. The circumferential skidsurface may be formed of the same material and surfacing as theremainder of the hub 106, such as aluminum 7075-T6 that is anodized perMIL-A-8625, Type II, Class 2. Additionally, the circumferential surfacemay be formed with a different material and/or surface treatment. Forexample, the circumferential skid surface may be smoothed or roughenedto reduce or reinforce, respectively, rotatable shaft decelerationresulting from reinforcing contact between the motor casing and thecircumferential skid surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the circumferential skid surface 107 may bedisposed immediately proximal to a front skid face 109 of the motorcasing 112 and spaced apart from the front skid face 109 by a gapdistance (D_(GAP)). In one embodiment having a shaft 100 outer diameterof 4.76 mm and a composition of 17-4 PH stainless steel, the gapdistance (D_(GAP)) may be approximately 0.51 mm. In alternativeembodiments the gap distance may be 0.5 mm-1.5 mm. The gap distance(D_(GAP)) is predetermined to enable impact of the circumferential skidsurface 107 onto the front skid face 109 prior to reaching the loadlimit of the shaft 100 so that the shaft 100 is protected from excessivebending moments. The impact of the circumferential skid surface 107 onthe front skid face 109 may serve to limit bending of the shaft 100 inthe face of a potentially excessive shaft deflection due to, forexample, a propeller strike. The gap distance (D_(GAP)) may be limitedat a maximum design distance by the yield load on the shaft and at aminimum by the stacked manufacturing tolerances of the hub, shaft,engine mounts, and other components (i.e., “motor assembly”) that affectpositioning of the circumferential skid surface 107 with respect to thefront skid face 109 of the motor casing 112. For example, more exactmanufacturing tolerances of the motor assembly may allow the designedgap distance (D_(GAP)) to be reduced in view of a given shaft'sdimensions, support, and material, since manufacturing deviations may beless likely to cause inadvertent impact of the hub against motor casingduring normal operation. If stacked manufacturing tolerances of themotor assembly are greater for the given shaft's dimensions, support andmaterial, the gap distance (D_(GAP)) may be increased to prevent knownmanufacturing variations from causing inadvertent impact of thecircumferential skid surface 107 and front skid face 109 after assemblyand during operation. Further, the gap distance (D_(GAP)) may be sizedto allow both dirt and water to easily and quickly exit the spacebetween the hub and the motor. In an alternative embodiment, the motoris provided with the front skid face 109 positioned immediately proximalto the circumferential skid surface of the hub, when the hub isassembled on the rotatable shaft, during at least a portion of arotation of the rotatable shaft.

A sensor trigger, e.g., a magnet 108, may be coupled to the hub 106 atan outer diameter of the hub and facing the motor. As the shaft 100drives the hub 106, the magnet 108 rotates with the shaft 100.Additionally, the sensor trigger may be mounted on or in the propeller104. A second magnet 111 may be coupled to the hub 106 on a side of thehub opposite from the magnet to weightably balance the hub 106. A sensor110 is coupled to the interior of the motor casing 112 to protect thesensor from the external environment (such as dust, rain and othercontaminants), with the sensor 110 fixed at a location that iscomplementary to the magnet 108 to facilitate detection of the magnet108 as it is rotated with the hub 106 past the sensor 110. The sensor110 may be triggered by a Hall Effect sensor. In embodiments where thesensor trigger is mounted on or in the propeller 104, the sensor 110 maybe located in the motor casing 112 or on an exterior surface of themotor casing 112. The sensor may be in communication with a motorcontroller through a motor cable 114 to provide feedback for propellerangular position location. In embodiments where the motor 102 is apermanent three-phase motor, each of the phase circuits of the motor maybe selectively controllable to control rotation of the propeller 104through the shaft 100.

The hub 106 is illustrated as having a tapered exterior cross sectionwith an interior cavity 116 to reduce its mass from what would otherwisebe a solid component. The propeller 104 is depicted as seated in anindexer, e.g., a channel 118 sized to fit the width of the propeller,and located on an exterior surface of the hub that is on a side oppositefrom the motor 102. The angular orientation of the indexer with respectto the sensor trigger 108 is predetermined to facilitate proper angularalignment of the propeller 104 versus the sensor 110, as will bedescribed more fully below. The propeller may be seated and held in thechannel 118 by a spinner nut 120. The spinner nut 120 has a spinner nutpost 122 that is inserted through a center channel 124 of the propeller102 to threadably engage a hub post 126. The spinner nut 120 mayaccordingly press and hold the propeller 104 against the surface of thehub 106 to enable the shaft 100 to drive the hub 106 that then drivesthe seated propeller 104. Because the propeller 104 is pressed and heldagainst the surface of the hub 106, application of a bending moment tothe propeller (such as during a propeller ground strike) results intransmission of the bending moment through the propeller to the hub. Thehub then transmits the bending moment to the rotatable shaft. Becausethe circumferential skid surface 107 is disposed immediately proximal toa motor casing 112 of the motor, bending deformation of the rotatableshaft 100 is limited with reinforcing contact between the motor casing112 and the circumferential skid surface 107 of the hub 106.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are, respectively, top, perspective, and rear views ofthe hub 106 and channel illustrated in FIG. 1. The channel 118 may beformed through a lip portion 200 of the hub 106 that may be conical,sloped or have an angular transition between front and back sides of thehub 106 to direct air away from a center section of the propeller andmotor to increase efficiency of the propeller. The bottom surface 202 ofthe channel 118 is depicted as extending to a hub platform 204 tocollectively seat a propeller 104 for transmission of a bending momentthrough the propeller (see FIG. 1) to the hub 106 and from the hub 106to the rotatable shaft (see FIG. 1). Although the bottom surface 202 ofthe channel 118 is illustrated as having a bottom surface 202 and sidewall portions 206 that are each contoured to approximate the bottomsurface of the airfoil of a utilized propeller (not shown), in analternative embodiment, the bottom surface 202 may be flat and thesloped sidewall portions 206 may be perpendicular to the flat bottomsurface 202 or at an angle to the bottom surface 202 to receive andguide a propeller as the hub 106 is driven by the shaft (see FIG. 1). Inembodiments that have a flat bottom surface 202, the hub platform 204may more completely seat the propeller or the sidewall portions 206 maybe positioned to have a more prominent role in receiving and guiding thepropeller as the hub 106 is driven by the shaft (see FIG. 1). The hubpost 126 is depicted as extending away from the hub platform 204 tothreadably engage a spinner nut post through a center channel of apropeller (see FIG. 1) to couple the propeller to the hub 106. A hubpost mating surface 300 slidably receives the center channel of thepropeller. Although illustrated as threaded, the hub post 126 may beformed without threads to accomplish a press-fit, an adhesive coupling,or other coupling, of the propeller to the hub 106 with or without theuse of a spinner nut 120 or its equivalent. A portion of the interiorcavity 116 may include a shaft cavity extending into the rear center ofthe hub to fixedly receive the shaft with a press fit, a threadablecoupling or with an adhesive.

In FIG. 4, a circumferential skid plate 107 of the hub 106 may beannular and continuous about a perimeter of the hub 106. In analternative embodiment, the circumferential skid plate 107 may be formedwith a dis-contiguous surface about a hub perimeter, or as a surfaceextending without a surface break. The interior cavity 116 of the hub106 is provided to reduce the weight of the hub from what wouldotherwise be that of a solid structure. A shaft slot 400 is provided atthe center axis of the hub 106 to receive the shaft of the motor, via,for example a press-fit.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are, respectively, cross-sectional, back plan, andperspective views of one embodiment of a hub having a circumferentialskid plate to enable reinforcing contact between the hub and a motorcasing during a propeller strike to reduce the possibility of damage toan engine compartment. In the illustrated embodiment, indexer wings(600, 602) extend out from a main body of the hub 504 to receive thepropeller. A back surface of the hub and associated indexer wingsdefines a non-annular circumferential skid surface 606 in the form ofopposing radial hub wings. During aircraft assembly, the propeller maybe aligned to seat on the indexer wings (600, 602) to ensure asupportive coupling to the hub and to ensure a known alignment of thepropeller with first and second trigger cavities (506, 508) formed inthe hub. The coupling of the propeller to seat on the base 500, indexerwings (600, 602) and adjacent sidewalls 502 enables transmission of abending moment received through the propeller, through the hub and tothe rotatable shaft of the motor. The hub 504 may then be coupled to ashaft (not shown). In one embodiment, first and second magnets may beseated in respective first and second trigger cavities (506, 508). Inone embodiment of a hub formed of aluminum 7075-T6 and anodized perMIL-A-8625, Type II, Class II, each indexer wing (600, 602) may have athickness of approximately 15 mm. An outer diameter of thecircumferential skid surface 606 may be approximately 20-28 mm. Duringoperation, the circumferential skid surface 606 may contact the frontskid face of the motor during at least a portion of the rotation travelpath of the propeller if the propeller experiences a ground strike thattransmits a bending moment to the rotational shaft to protect therotational shaft from excessive and potentially damaging (to the shaftand motor) elastic deformation.

In one alternative embodiment, the hub may be omitted and the propellermay be seated on the motor shaft. The propeller may be coupled to themotor shaft at a location immediately proximal to the front skid face ofthe motor, with the propeller itself having a skid surface. Duringoperation, the propeller skid surface may contact the front skid face ofthe motor if the propeller experiences a ground strike that transmits abending moment to the rotational shaft to protect the rotational shaftfrom excessive and potentially damaging (to the shaft and motor) elasticdeformation.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an aircraft for usewith the motor assembly first illustrated in FIG. 1. The aircraft has awing 800 coupled to a tail assembly 804 through a fuselage boom 806. Acenter section 808 of the wing 800 has a motor assembly 810 thatincludes a propeller 812 coupled to a motor through a shaft (not shown),with the hub 106 having a circumferential skid plate. In an alternativeembodiment, the tail assembly may be omitted and a canard configurationmay be provided in front of the wing 800. The motor assembly 810illustrated as a puller-prop would be reconfigured as a pusher-proppositioned aft of the wing 800.

FIG. 9 illustrates the circumferential skid surface illustrated in FIG.1, with a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub inresponse to a force (F) on the propeller. The hub 106 is coupled to arotatable shaft 100′ extending from a motor 102, the hub 106′ having thecircumferential skid surface 107′ disposed immediately proximal to thefront skid face 109. As illustrated by FIG. 9, a force (F) applied tothe propeller 104′ is transmitted through the hub 106′ to the shaft100′. The circumferential skid surface 107′ may impact on the front skidface 109 if such force (F) becomes excessive, thus protecting the shaft100′ from excessive deflections.

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a hub having acircumferential skid surface, with the propeller attached to the shaftseparately from the hub. In this embodiment, a hub 1000 is coupled tothe shaft, such as with a friction fit. The hub has a circumferentialskid surface 1002 spaced immediately apart from and in complementaryopposition to the front skid face 109 of the motor casing 112 and spacedapart from the front skid face 109 by a gap distance (D_(GAP1)).Although described as circumferential, the circumferential skid surface1002 need not be continuous, but may be formed with a dis-contiguoussurface about a hub perimeter, or as a surface extending without asurface break. The circumferential skid surface may be formed of thesame material and surfacing as the remainder of the hub 1000, such asaluminum 7075-T6 that is anodized per MIL-A-8625, Type II, Class 2.Additionally, the circumferential surface may be formed with a differentmaterial and/or surface treatment. For example, the circumferential skidsurface may be smoothed or roughened to reduce or reinforce,respectively, rotatable shaft deceleration resulting from reinforcingcontact between the motor casing and the circumferential skid surface.The propeller 1004 may be coupled to the shaft in series with the hub1000, such as with a friction fit or other coupling. The gap distance(D_(GAP)) may be predetermined to enable impact of the circumferentialskid surface 107 onto the front skid face 109 prior to reaching the loadlimit of the shaft 100 so that the shaft 100 is protected from excessivebending moments. The impact of the circumferential skid surface 107 onthe front skid face 109 may serve to limit bending of the shaft 100 inthe face of a potentially excessive shaft deflection due to, forexample, a propeller strike. The gap distance (D_(GAP1)) is limited at amaximum design distance by the yield load on the shaft 100 and at aminimum by the stacked manufacturing tolerances of the hub, shaft,engine mounts, and other components (i.e., “motor assembly”) that affectthe positioning of the circumferential skid surface 1002 with respect tothe front skid face 109 of the motor casing 112.

The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatorypurposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.This disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit and scope ofthe invention and/or claims of the embodiment illustrated. It iscontemplated that various combinations and/or sub-combinations of thespecific features, systems, methods, and aspects of the aboveembodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, it should be understood that various featuresand aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be combined with orsubstituted for one another in order to form varying modes of thedisclosed invention. Further it is intended that the scope of thepresent invention herein disclosed by way of examples should not belimited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motor apparatus, comprising: a motor attachedto a first structure; a rotatable shaft extending from said motor; and asecond structure coupled to said rotatable shaft, said second structurehaving a surface disposed adjacent to and apart from at least a portionof the first structure; wherein a bending moment applied to saidrotatable shaft results in a bending of said rotatable shaft such thatat least a portion of said surface contacts at least a portion of thefirst structure.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: apropeller coupled to said rotatable shaft so that a bending momentapplied to said propeller is transmitted to said rotatable shaftresulting in said surface contacting at least a portion of the firststructure.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said second structure isa hub arranged to receive and seat said propeller.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein said hub has a channel which is contoured toapproximate a bottom surface of an airfoil.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein said second structure is a hub which further comprises a cavityconfigured to receive said rotatable shaft and wherein said rotatableshaft has a threaded distal portion configured to threadably receive aspinner nut to hold the propeller to said hub.
 6. The apparatus of claim1, wherein said first structure is a motor casing and said secondstructure is a hub comprising: a shaft cavity to receive said rotatableshaft, said shaft cavity extending approximately to a shaft length sothat a circumferential skid surface is disposed immediately proximal tosaid motor casing.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said surface isat least one of: annular and non-annular.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the bending moment applied to said rotatable shaft results inthe bending of said rotatable shaft such that at least said portion ofsaid surface contacts at least said portion of the first structure totransfer a load therebetween.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidsurface comprises opposing radial hub wings.
 10. The apparatus of claim1, wherein said first structure is a motor casing and said secondstructure is a hub, wherein said surface is a circumferential skidsurface which is spaced apart from said motor casing by a gap distance,and wherein said gap distance enables the contact of saidcircumferential skid surface onto said motor casing prior to reaching aload limit of said rotatable shaft.
 11. A motor apparatus, comprising: amotor attached to a fixed structure having a skid face; a rotatableshaft extending past said skid face; and a rotatable structure coupledto said rotatable shaft, said rotatable structure having a skid surfacedisposed adjacent to said skid face during at least a portion of arotation of said rotatable shaft; wherein a bending moment applied tosaid rotatable shaft through said rotatable structure results in abending of said rotatable shaft such that said skid surface contactssaid skid face.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said skid surfaceis annular.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said skid surface isdefined by opposing radial hub wings.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein said skid surface is spaced apart from said skid face by a gapdistance, wherein said gap distance enables the contact of said skidsurface onto said skid face prior to reaching a load limit of saidrotatable shaft.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the bending ofsaid rotatable shaft is limited by reinforcing contact between saidrotatable structure and said fixed structure attached to the motor. 16.A motor apparatus, comprising: a rotatable hub coupled to a rotatableshaft, said rotatable hub having a skid surface; and a motor rotatablycoupled to said rotatable hub through said rotatable shaft, said motorfurther attached to a fixed structure having a skid face for providingreinforcing contact spaced immediately apart from and in complementaryopposition to said skid surface of said rotatable hub; wherein a bendingmoment applied to said rotatable shaft results in a bending of saidrotatable shaft such that said skid surface of said rotatable hubcontacts said skid face for providing reinforcing contact.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a channel for seating apropeller onto said rotatable shaft, said channel for seating configuredso that a bending moment applied to said propeller is transmitted tosaid rotatable hub through said rotatable shaft and resulting in saidskid surface contacting said skid face for providing reinforcingcontact.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said skid surface is atleast one of: annular and non-annular.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18,wherein said skid surface is defined by opposing radial hub wings. 20.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said skid surface is spaced apartfrom said skid face by a gap distance, and wherein said gap distanceenables the contact of said skid surface onto said skid face prior toreaching a load limit of said rotatable shaft.